Copying files to Documents Directory results in failure

Question

I recently started playing around with the iPhone file system, at first I had some trouble understanding some concepts but I think that in the end I got them straight and flowing.

My problem is that I am trying to copy a file from the mail app (or any app that opens my app with a file type my app supports) by implementing the application:openURL:sourceApplication:annotation: method to the Documents Directory (NSDocumentDirectory), but my app seems to fail when doing this.

I created a BOOL with the value that my file manager returns when copying the file ([fileManager copyItenAtPath:filePath toPath:newFilePath error:&error]; where newFilePath is my Documents Directory) and then check against it, and then NSLog if there was failure or success, I always get failure.

In an attempt to find out what was going on with my Documents directory I enabled file sharing, and instead of seeing the file I copied, I get an Inbox folder, and upon copying that folder to the Desktop I see that my files are in there. Why is this behavior? How can I get the result that I want?

I read somewhere in Apple documentation that when UIDocumentInteractionController opens a file it copies it to the Inbox folder, but obviously, my app does not make use of UIDocumentInteractionController.

Thank you in advance, your help is very much appreciated.

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EDIT STARTS HERE

Here is my original code:

//AppDelegate.m
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application openURL:(NSURL *)url sourceApplication (NSString *)sourceApplication annotation:(id)annotation
{
    rootFolder.fileURLFromLaunch = url; //Passing the URL on to aproperty on a different class
    [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] postNotificationName:@"ApplicationDidOpenFile" object:nil]; // notifying that the URL was passed and a file was opened
    return YES;
}

This is the class that does all the work with the file:

//RootFolder.m

- (void)copyFileIntoApp
{

    NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);

    NSString *documentsPath = [paths objectAtIndex:0];

    NSString *filePath = [fileURLFromLaunch path];

    NSString *displayName = [filePath lastPathComponent];

    NSError *error = NULL;

    NSString *finalFilePath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@/%@", documentsPath, displayName];

if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:finalFilePath]) {

    UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Error" message:@"File already exists!" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:@"OK" otherButtonTitles:nil, nil];
    [alert show];
    [alert release];

} else {

    BOOL success = [fileManager copyItemAtPath:filePath toPath:finalFilePath error:&error];
    if (success) {

        NSLog(@"success");
        Document *document = (Document *) [NSEntityDescription insertNewObjectForEntityForName:@"Document" inManagedObjectContext:managedObjectContext];

        [document setFilename:displayName];

        [document setPath:finalFilePath];

        if (![managedObjectContext save:&error]) {

            UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Error" message:@"Please try again or restart the app" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:@"OK" otherButtonTitles:nil, nil];
            [alert show];
            [alert release];
        }

        [fileArray insertObject:document atIndex:0];

        NSIndexPath *indexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:0 inSection:0];

        [self.tableView insertRowsAtIndexPaths:[NSArray arrayWithObject:indexPath]
                              withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationFade];
        [self.tableView scrollToRowAtIndexPath:[NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:0 inSection:0] atScrollPosition:UITableViewScrollPositionTop animated:YES];

    } else {
        NSLog(@"failure %@ ", [error localizedDescription]);
    }


}

}

I hope that sets things more clearly.

Answer 1

I get an Inbox folder, and upon copying that folder to the Desktop I see that my files are in there. Why is this behavior? How can I get the result that I want?

Because your app is sandboxed and does not have access to files that are not in its own directory. When the user tells iOS that he wants to open a file with a specific app iOS copies the file into the inbox directory.

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Post the complete code of application:openURL:sourceApplication:annotation:.
Your "I'm doing this and that" is not very helpful because there is a flaw between this and that. The algorithm you explained with your words is correct, but there is clearly a bug in your implementation.

So please post the full code of this method.

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Edit: I tested the relevant parts of your code and they seem to work.

I would check that fileManager is not nil. That would explain why you don't see an error message.